Results 5,921-5,940 of 20,884 for speaker:Alan Kelly

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Motor Tax Collection (19 Jan 2016)

Alan Kelly: All Motor Tax income accrues to the Local Government Fund. The Minister for Finance also pays an amount equivalent to the Local Property Tax that was collected in the particular year, from the Central Fund to the Local Government Fund. Local Property Tax (LPT) was introduced in 2013 to provide an alternative, stable and sustainable funding base for local authorities, providing greater levels...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Water Conservation Grant Applications (19 Jan 2016)

Alan Kelly: Current levels of registration with Irish Water is a matter for the utility and one in which I have no function. Irish Water has established a dedicated team to deal with representations and queries from public representatives. They may be contacted via email at or by telephone on 1890 578 578. The legislative basis for the Water Conservation Grant scheme is set out in Section 5 of the Water...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Dublin Docklands Development Authority (19 Jan 2016)

Alan Kelly: The Docklands Oversight and Consultative Forum is being established under Part 5 of the Dublin Docklands Development Authority (Dissolution) Act 2015 and the associated schedule to the Act. Under the 1997 Act establishing the DDDA, input from interested parties in Docklands was previously channelled via the Docklands Council to the Authority, and the advice and feedback from that Council,...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing Provision (19 Jan 2016)

Alan Kelly: Information on social housing units constructed and acquired in respect of all local authorities and approved housing bodies and funded by direct capital investment by my Department, is published on my Department’s website at the following link: . Data up to Quarter 3 of 2015 are currently available, including a breakdown across the different categories of delivery for all local...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Electoral Reform (19 Jan 2016)

Alan Kelly: In order to be able to vote at elections and referendums, a person's name must be entered in the register of electors for a constituency in the State in which the person ordinarily resides. Provision is made in the Electoral Act 1992 for persons to be deemed to be ordinarily resident if they intend to resume residence within eighteen months after giving it up. I have no current plans to amend...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Local Authority Staff (19 Jan 2016)

Alan Kelly: I propose to take Questions Nos. 458 and 459 together. Under current Local Government Superannuation Scheme rules, most employees appointed prior to 1 April 2004 must retire by the age of 65. There are no plans to extend this retirement age. The minimum retirement age for employees appointed between 1 April 2004 and 31 December 2012 is 65 but they may work beyond that date. Employees...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing Provision (19 Jan 2016)

Alan Kelly: Offers of social housing support are made by individual housing authorities in accordance with their allocation schemes and I, as Minister, am precluded by law from intervening in individual housing cases. I am aware of the level of refusals of offers of social housing across the local authority system and of the various reasons put forward for such refusals. I am concerned with the high...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Homeless Persons Data (19 Jan 2016)

Alan Kelly: My Department has just concluded the compilation of details from housing authority reports for November 2015 and is in the process of collecting reports for December 2015. Homelessness has been a standing agenda item at meetings of the Cabinet Committee on Social Policy and Public Sector Reform since January 2015; the normal procedure within my Department is to publish the monthly figures on...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Drainage Schemes (19 Jan 2016)

Alan Kelly: Responsibility for the maintenance of our rivers and waterways is shared between a range of statutory bodies and local riparian landowners. Under the Arterial Drainage Acts 1945 and 1995, the Office of Public Works (OPW) has statutory responsibility for the maintenance of rivers on which it has executed works since the 1945 Act. These arterial drainage schemes had as their primary purpose...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Departmental Staff Promotions (19 Jan 2016)

Alan Kelly: My Department has completed one round of internal competitions for various administrative grades since the change in rules governing eligibility. There have been no instances of Clerical Officers being promoted to Higher Executive Officer or Executive Officers being promoted to Assistant Principal Officer resulting from these competitions.

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Emergency Accommodation Numbers (20 Jan 2016)

Alan Kelly: Monthly reports are provided to my Department regarding the number of individuals accommodated through housing authorities in State-funded emergency accommodation facilities. These monthly reports are made available on my Department’s website at the following link:. My Department is in the process of collecting and collating data on individuals that accessed emergency accommodation...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Housing Adaptation Grant (20 Jan 2016)

Alan Kelly: Last year Exchequer funding of over €40 million was made available to local authorities for the Housing Adaptation Grants for Older People and People with a Disability. I expect to be in a position to increase that funding for 2016 and the allocations to individual local authorities will issue shortly.

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Wind Energy Guidelines (20 Jan 2016)

Alan Kelly: In December 2013, my Department published proposed “draft” revisions to the noise, setback distance and shadow flicker aspects of the 2006 Wind Energy Development Guidelines. These draft revisions proposed: - the setting of a more stringent day and night noise limit of 40 decibels for future wind energy developments, - a mandatory minimum setback distance of 500...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Local Authority Housing Data (20 Jan 2016)

Alan Kelly: Details of funding provided to Laois County Council under the primary social housing support programmes for the years 2011 to 2015 inclusive are set out in the following Table. - CAPITAL CAPITAL CAPITAL CAPITAL CAPITAL CAPITAL CURRENT CURRENT CURRENT Laois County Council LA Build / Acquisition €m Voluntary Housing Capital Assistance Scheme €m Traveller...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Local Authority Housing Applications (20 Jan 2016)

Alan Kelly: The processing of applications for social housing support, and the allocation of that support, is solely a matter for the housing authority concerned, in this case Dublin City Council. As current housing legislation specifically precludes me as Minister from intervening in individual housing cases, it would not be appropriate for me to become involved in the case concerned. However, I would...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Motor Tax Exemptions (21 Jan 2016)

Alan Kelly: Motor tax is based on the construction and use of a vehicle. In order to qualify for the commercial rate of motor tax, a vehicle must be constructed or adapted for use as a goods vehicle and used solely for the conveyance of goods in the course of trade or business. Licensing authorities have an obligation under Article 3 of the Road Vehicles (Registration and Licensing)(Amendment)...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Mortgage Arrears Rate (21 Jan 2016)

Alan Kelly: My Department publishes a wide range of housing statistics, including the number and value of local authority mortgages and a breakdown of those in arrears; however, the data does not provide a specific breakdown in respect of shared ownership mortgages. The statistics on local authority mortgage arrears generally are available on my Department’s website at: by clicking...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Fire Stations Upgrade (21 Jan 2016)

Alan Kelly: The provision of a fire service in its functional area, including the establishment and maintenance of a fire brigade, the assessment of fire cover needs and the provision of fire station premises, is a statutory function of individual fire authorities under the Fire Services Act, 1981. My Department supports the fire authorities through setting general policy, providing a central training...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: National Payments Plan Implementation (21 Jan 2016)

Alan Kelly: The Government’s National Payments Planwas launched in April 2013 with the objective of reducing the cost of Ireland’s payment system through the increased use of more efficient payment systems to improve competitiveness and efficiency. In September 2013, ‘ eDay ’ was launched and gave businesses and public sector bodies 12 months to prepare for the smooth...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Housing Issues (21 Jan 2016)

Alan Kelly: I and my colleague, Minister of State, Deputy Paudie Coffey, met with the Irish League of Credit Unions (ILCU) on 1 December 2015 to discuss a submission containing a proposal setting out a means by which funding could be provided to Approved Housing Bodies, by credit unions, for the development of social housing. My Department has since had a further meeting with the ILCU to address...